Dartmouth Patriot, 31 August 1901 Edition
 

No. 17[18]

Hon. Benjamin Green's grant ran along the beach for 115 rods, on Hon. Charles Morris' grant 297 rods, on rear base line 115 rods and 340 rods on Hon. Richard Bulkeley's grant. It consisted of 200 acres.

Hon Benjamin Green was born in the state of Massachusetts in 1713. His father was a minister. Mr. Green was a merchant for a time in Boston. In 1745 he accompanied Pepperel as Secretary on his expedition to Louisburg. He continued to hold the office of Secretary after the capture of Louisburg. That his services were appreciated is evident from the following letter written by Pepperel to Governor Shirley of Massachusetts. "Mr. Green, whom you were pleased to appoint Secretary in this expedition, it would be a pleasure to me if you would be pleased to mention him at home to be continued Secretary, if his majesty should be pleased to make this place a Government." After the restoration of Louisburg to the French Mr. Green and his family removed to Halifax. July 12, 1749, Col. Mascarene, the late President of the Council, arrived at Halifax, or Chebucto as it was then called, with five members of the Council. The next day Governor Cornwallis took the oaths of office and on the 14th he appointed a new Council of five, one of whom was Benjamin Green. A few months after he was appointed Treasurer. Governor Cornwallis at that time commended his method and propriety. He said Green was the only person he had for business.

On November 15, 1750, Benjamin Green was sworn into office as clerk or Secretary of H.M. Council.

On the death of Governor Wilmot in 1766 Mr. Green was elected for the time being to the high position of Governor and Commander-in-Chief. In 1771 he was again Governor for a short time. He held other important offices at various times being Judge of the Court of Vice Admiralty, etc. His death occurred in 1772. His son Benjamin succeeded him as Treasurer of the Province. His second son became Sheriff of Halifax. Benjamin Green, Jr. was one of the twenty original grantees of Lawrencetown. He died in 1793 leaving a family of 12 children. Four of these settled at Lawrencetown. Susan one of the four married Capt. Smith Parker of the 64th Regt. Capt. Parker settled at Lawrencetown after his marriage. Their son Capt. William Parker was killed at the seige of Sebastopol in 1855. The Parker-Welsford monument in Halifax will ever keep his memory alive. The other daughter Elizabeth, married Lieut. William Stawell. Wenman Stawell, well known to everyone at Eastern Passage died last year. His son Henry lives at Halifax. I should have mentioned that Green Bay or Cole Harbour Bay received its name from Benjamin Green, Jr.

Hon. Richard Bulkeley received the grant to the south of Hon. Benjamin Green's land. The bounds of his grant were 184 rods on the beach, 340 rods on Mr. Green's grant, 96 rods on the rear base line and 824 rods on Mr. Gerrish's Grant. The grant included 222 acres, 22 of which were deducted for roads.

Hon. Richard Bulkeley, a native of Ireland, came to Nova Scotia with the original settlers. He was A.D.C. to Governor Cornwallis. On August 16th, 1750, he was sworn in as a member of the Council. About the same time he was appointed Clerk of the Council and Secretary of the Province. In 1762 he was Colonel of the Halifax Militia. In 1763 (Oct. 9) he was again appointed to the Council. In 1785 he was President of that body and as senior member of the Council he assumed the administration of the Government on the death of Governor Parr in 1791. In 1793 he retired from the office of Secretary of the Province and was allowed a pension of £200 for life. In July, 1800, he resigned the offices of Master of Rolls and Register in Chancery. On December 7 of the same year he died, aged 83 years. He was universally beloved and respected throughout the Province. He was buried under St. Paul's Church at Halifax. His escutcheon with the bull's head crest hangs in the west galley of that church. Hon. Richard Bulkeley's first wife was a daughter of Capt. John Rous, one of the grantees already mentioned. Some of the other offices held at different times by Mr. Bulkeley were the following: Grand Master for Nova Scotia of Free-Masons, Judge of Vice Admiralty, President of the Society for the promotion of Agriculture formed in 1890, and the Brigadier General of Militia in Nova Scotia. Hon. Richard Bulkeley used to live in the house now known as the Carleton Hotel, probably the oldest stone building in Halifax.

The next grant given to Hon. Joseph Gerrish did not front on the sea shore for its entire breadth. It had the same rear base line but the front was reserved for fishing lots to be used in common by the inhabitants of Eastern Passage. The bounds of his grant were 128 on the beach and fish lots, 324 rods on Mr. Bulkeley's land, 128 rods on rear base line and 287 rods on Hon. J. Collier's grant. The grant contained 230 acres, 30 of which were deducted for roads leaving 200 acres to the grantee.

Hon. Joseph Gerrish came to Halifax from New England. He owned a schooner named the "Friendship." She was one of two vessels taken by the Indians while fishing near Canso. Mr. Gerrish had to pay a large ransom to recover his vessel.

On October 2, 1758, Joseph Gerrish was sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives for Nova Scotia. In the following year he was appointed to the Council and was also given the position of storekeeper at the Navy yard, Halifax. In 1760, he, among others was appointed J.P. for the County of Halifax and later in the same year was appointed a Justice of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. In 1762, on account of the French War scare a dockyard company of militia was ordered to be formed under the command of Joseph Gerrish. In the same year he was dismissed from the office of Justice of the Court of Common Pleas and also suspended from the Council for non-attendance. He was re-appointed to that body on October 19th of the next year. He died in 1774. Gerrish street was named after him.

Hon. John Collier received the grant next to that of Hon. Joseph Gerrish. It consisted of 316 acres with 36 deducted for roads. Its bounds were:- 188 rods on beach, 287 rods on land of Mr. Gerrish, 158 rods on rear base line and 321 rods on grant of Otho Hamilton.

Hon. John Collier came from England with the original expedition. He was a Lieutenant in the Army. On the 18th July, 1749, John Collier was in as J.P. for the township of Halifax. He was the acting Chief Justice. In the same year he was appointed Captain of one of the companies of Militia required from each of the five divisions or wards. The division of the town in which his company was recruited was called Collier's Division. In January, 1752, Mr. Collier was called to the Council. Six years after he became Judge of Vice Admiralty. In 1768 he was President of the Council. He died on the 14th of April, 1769.

The next grant was given to Hon. Otho Hamilton. His grant contained 220 acres with a deduction of 20 acres for roads. The bounds of his property were as follows: On the beach 112 rods, on Mr. Collier's grant 321 rods, on rear base line 110 rods and on Joseph Gorham's grant 322 rods.

Hon. Otho Hamilton was a lieutenant in the Army. On July 28, 1727, he was appointed Secretary of H.M. Council at Annapolis. He was made a member of the Council in 1732. On March 28, 1740, Lieut. Hamilton was made Captain of one of the companies at Canso, by the King, and having to go to duty there, was appointed and sworn a J.P. throughout the Province. The same year he was appointed one of 5 commissioners from Nova Scotia to settle the boundaries between the Province of Massachusetts and the Colony of Rhode Island. As he was stationed at Canso he did not go.

In 1751 Capt. Hamilton and 60 officers, soldiers and settlers were captured by Indians and taken to Quebec. The sum of £882 was paid by the Governor and Council as ransom.
 
 

In 1761, (November 10), he was promoted to be Major of the 40 Regiment. He commanded H.M. Troops in Nova Scotia in 1764 and after. He was appointed to the Lieutenant Governorship of Placentia Nf'd. He died in office February 17, 177o[1770?].

(To be Continued)